Despite being nowhere near as good nowadays, and even the Tom Barnaby-era had its not-so-good episodes ("Second Sight", "The Electric Vendetta" and "The Straw Woman" being notable previous episodes in this regard), 'Midsomer Murders' is still one of my most watched and re-watched shows.
While, to me, "The House in the Woods" is the best episode of Season 9, "Country Matters" gets my vote as a close runner-up. The episodes in between the two also range from decent to very good. There could have been more focus on the murder itself, which was slightly disappointing for an episode that is very light on the body count, but that was the only thing really that wasn't quite so good here.
The production values as always are top notch, with to die for scenery, the idyllic look of it contrasting very well with the story's grimness, and quaint and atmospheric photography. The music fits perfectly, with some lush jauntiness and sometimes an ominous quality, and the theme tune one of the most memorable and instantly recognisable of the genre.
Meanwhile, the script is smart and thought-provoking with some nice quirky and often hilarious humour, a grimness and with characters that are colourful and eccentric. The story is absorbing, never simplistic, sometimes creepy in atmosphere, never dull (for an exposition-heavy episode) never confusing (remarkable for an episode with many colourful characters and a wide range of deliciously kinky sub-plots) and the maturity that 'Midsomer Murders' has when on form is more than evident here. The ending agreed is one of the show's best, and one that is appreciated by me even more now than on first viewing.
John Nettles is a joy and Jason Hughes brings appeal and nice wry humour to Jones. The two work extremely well together, and the rest of the cast are uniformly strong.
Overall, great episode and one of the season's best. 9/10 Bethany Cox